Seizing an opening, Clinton sharpens attacks on Trump

Hillary Clinton’s attacks on Donald Trump have grown more aggressive and frequent on the heels of the Republican presidential front-runner’s call to ban Muslims from entering the United States.

Clinton, who leads her party in her bid for the nomination, has accused Trump of “trafficking in prejudice and paranoia” in a letter penned on Medium, lashed out at the reality television star in a series of messages on Twitter and fundraised off the controversy by selling stickers reading “Love Trumps Hate” at a dollar apiece.

{mosads}The fundraising email came from Huma Abedin, the longtime Clinton aide and campaign vice chairwoman who is a Muslim herself. That sent a message of inclusiveness that Clinton is carefully honing as part of her general election message, which her allies feel will contrast favorably with Trump or whomever emerges as the GOP nominee.

Trump’s decision to call for a ban on Muslims entering the United States, in response to the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif., has been met with nearly universal opposition from Republicans and Democrats alike, as well as from heads of foreign governments.

It’s highlighted a rupture in the Republican Party between grassroots supporters of Trump and many GOP officeholders, who worry having the business mogul at the top of the ticket will hurt their party in the fall.

The Trump news came at a perfect time for Clinton, who has sought to distance herself from President Obama’s unpopular foreign policies. Just as Republicans were looking to tie the former secretary of State to Obama’s record on the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, Trump shifted the conversation.

“It’s a wet dream,” said one top Democratic fundraising who is raising money for Clinton. “Every time he opens his mouth, they’re saying ‘Thank you’ [at Clinton campaign headquarters] in Brooklyn.”

“Every dumbshit comment he makes gives HRC a new demographic to raise money and get votes,” the fundraiser continued, adding that Muslims, Hispanics and others would write checks.

Clinton World sees the possibility of Trump winning the GOP presidential nomination as a serious possibility.

“With him, all conventional wisdom goes right out the window,” one longtime Clinton ally and former aide said.

Polls show Trump’s supporters are sticking with him.

A Bloomberg/Purple Strategies Pulse poll released Wednesday showed that almost two-thirds of GOP primary voters agree with Trump’s proposal to put a temporary halt on Muslims entering the U.S. And more than a third say Trump’s stance on the issue made them more likely to vote for him.

Team Clinton believes Trump will draw controversy throughout the campaign, hurting his party. Its members are happy to see Republicans criticize Trump but then vow to back the GOP nominee, no matter who it may be.

“Crowds get it, viewers get it,” said Tracy Sefl, a Democratic consultant who served as a senior adviser to the Ready for Hillary super-PAC. “And the GOP’s mealy-mouthed reactions only further bolstered her.” 

The Trump blowback also keeps the focus off differences between Clinton and Obama, as well as the nagging controversy surrounding the former secretary’s use of a private email server while at State.

While that controversy is likely to resurface, every day it is pushed off the front page by Trump is a good day for Clinton.

“Sure, she wants this to continue,” said Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons. “When was the last time we talked about Benghazi? This is dominating the political landscape, and not in a good way for Republicans.”

“They have to believe that every day Donald Trump is in the news, it prevents any other Republicans from making headway and reminds mainstream voters how extreme the Republican Party has become,” Simmons added.

On Wednesday, Clinton went after Trump with a ‘Who said it?’ post on her campaign website that depicted Trump and other GOP candidates as one and the same. Aides updated her Twitter feed to remind supporters of the controversial comments.

Separately, Abedin, for the second time in two days, expressed “shock and anger” about Trump’s Muslim proposal in an interview published online in People magazine on Wednesday. “I felt like I was living in an alternative universe. That’s just not the America I know and love,” she said.